Lexmark Cuts the Cord on Its New Printers

Lexmark is betting the farm that we all want to keep our printers somewhere besides right next to our computers. Each of the three new Lexmark models unveiled today is Wi-Fi enabled, using 802.11 b/g/n standards.

It makes great sense to have a wireless printer. You don't use them that often and they're bulky on your desktop. They're what I call décor demolishers. Now, theoretically, you can keep them in a closet. (I'll be testing the new models soon.) Lexmark printers have traditionally occupied 4^th place here in the U.S.. Canon, HP, and Epson all outsell Lexmark. So wireless is a great "we try harder" strategy. 

Lexmark's three new all-in-one (AIO) printers work with Macs, Windows XP, and Vista. They have plenty of accommodations for various memory cards: SD, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, and USB. The company claims its Evercolor 2 pigment-based inks are water and smudge resistant and that a framed photo will last without fading for 100 years.

Here's a brief summary of the new Lexmark printer lineup:

X4850: This is a 3-in-1 printer, scanner, and copier. It also prints photos. It's got integrated double side printing, full 48 bit color scanning, and supports a variety of memory cards like SD and Compact Flash. You can network it to all of your PCs. The printer has a roomy 2.4-inch color LCD screen to preview and do some simple image editing. The company reports you can expect to print 24 pages per minute in black ink and 17 in color. It sells for a reasonable $149 and makes a great all-in-one printer solution for those who print text and photos.

The flagship product, the X6570 sells for $149.99 as well, but it adds fax capabilities to the print, scan, and copy features. With the automatic document feeder, it can fax 25 pages at once. Like the 4850, it handles two-sided printing and can network all of your PCs. According to Lexmark it is slightly faster at 28 pages per minute in black ink and 24 in color. It has no print preview LCD though.

For $199 the X7550  is designed to support faster print speeds than the X6570: up to 30 ppm black and 27 ppm color. Plus it has the  2.4-inch color LCD display.

Two other printers, the Lexmark X4550 ($129), which eliminates the preview screen, two sided printing and more expensive inks and the Z1420 ($79) that has no memory cards slots and just handles simple printing are wireless too. 

Lexmark has its challenges, its consumables like paper and inks aren't as prevalent in stores as its competitors. And if the paper jams or there's a print problem you're going to have to haul yourself out of your chair to check it out.  But I'm thinking wireless printers make great sense. (Even if they turn out to be slightly slower than direct connect printers, who cares? Go grab a cup of coffee while you're waiting.)